A five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at Sabina Park on Sunday gave West Indies a 2-1 success in the three-match T20 series, their first such triumph on home soil since 2024. The chase of 170 looked ragged at 110 for 4 after 16 overs, yet late hitting from Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell and Jason Holder tilted the game. Earlier, Shamar Joseph’s career-best 5 for 33 had pinned the visitors back.
“Being under pressure and having the nerve and the calm and the cricket smarts to do what it takes to come out over the line,” was what most pleased head coach Daren Sammy. The former captain has asked for exactly that sort of composure since taking the job last year, and on a humid Kingston evening he finally saw it stitched together for an entire match.
Key moments
• Joseph removed Pathum Nissanka and Pavan Rathnayake in the sixth over; Sri Lanka never quite recovered the early wobble.
• Dunith Wellalage’s 42 from 24 gave the tourists a late push to 169, par but never imposing on a flat pitch.
• West Indies were crawling at 6.8 an over until Rutherford slapped back-to-back sixes in the 17th; Powell followed suit.
• Holder then carted Dushmantha Chameera for three sixes in over nineteen, effectively ending the contest with one to spare.
Sammy admitted the dug-out never completely relaxed. “I wasn’t too nervous. I was just hoping that we get over the line. But today it was a lot more thoughtful and smart cricket, especially by Rovman and Sherfane and followed by Jason Holder,” he said, hinting that the situational awareness he has demanded is finally bedding in.
Joseph’s night out
The 24-year-old quick, still fresh to international T20-cricket, added an 11-wicket series haul to his rapidly growing résumé. “It’s exciting for me, my first five-wicket haul in T20s, you know, couldn’t ask for anything better. And also, you know, a match-winning series for our West Indies team and especially for Jamaica,” he said. The locals roared him in on every sprint to the crease, a point he acknowledged. “You know, the support that they bring out to us is nothing more encouraging than having fans behind your back.”
Two separate bursts defined Joseph’s spell: the power-play double and a nerveless final over in which he dismissed Wellalage, Chameera and Maheesh Theekshana. Those yorkers and the odd heavy bouncer are fast becoming his trademarks. Asked to explain the method, Joseph just grinned: “I just enjoy taking wickets. That’s all I can say.”
Why the ground matters
Sammy has made no secret of his belief that Sabina Park can be a West Indian stronghold once again. “I remember just before World Cup 2024, we played South Africa here [in May 2024]. That was probably the first time we played cricket in years in Sabina. But you could see, I always tell the guys, we have to give the Sabina fans something to shout about,” he recalled. Crowd numbers have been modest by Caribbean standards in recent seasons; Sunday felt like a throwback, horns, drums and all.
Tactical take
Sri Lanka might wonder if they left 15-20 runs out there. Charith Asalanka, set on 31, picked out deep midwicket instead of playing through the covers. Equally, leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga struggled for grip, sending down two full tosses that Rutherford gleefully dispatched. West Indies’ decision to hold Holder back to No. 7, giving themselves an extra bowler at the top of the order, also worked: it offered flexibility when Kyle Mayers fell early.
For Sammy, it was evidence that a young squad can think on its feet. “Shamar Joseph, he continues to impress. So we needed a victory. It’s been a while since we won a T20 series at home in front of the Jamaican fans,” he pointed out. Powell echoed the sentiment off-mic, saying the side now feels “a little more street-smart” than twelve months ago.
Looking ahead
Neither team has much time to dwell. Sri Lanka head to Antigua for two warm-ups before the ODI leg; West Indies reassemble in Port of Spain for a short domestic camp. The Caribbean Premier League draft is also on the horizon, and Joseph’s name will surely be circled in red by more than one franchise.
Still, for one evening at least, the conversation was less about auctions or rankings and more about a full Sabina Park, a fast bowler in rhythm and a home team that finally closed out a tense finish. In Sammy’s words, it was “thoughtful and smart cricket”, and that will do for now.
